Just finished reading the inaugural issue of a new magazine called "Best Events- California" – a magazine targeted to California-focused meeting planners and special events promoters on evolving their business with the changing times. As magazines go, not a bad initial effort at all.

Best Events publisher, Sharon Kress, writes in a special box in the front of the magazine that: "Budgets are in flux, accountability is high and special events and meetings need to accomplish much more with much less. And they need to return value back to the bottom line. " I've got absolutely no problem with ANY of that. And in looking through their Table of Contents page, it seems the folks at Red 7 Media are sincere about wanting to help. Lots of stories on creative ways to save money – such as: "Rethink the Venue" (on using non-traditional locations to hold your events to help save money…), and "Designing on a Dime" ("Why cutting costs never had to mean sacrificing style"). Mixed in with these stories are a few "roundtable interview" recaps with meeting industry experts.

Again, all good stuff – but I can't help thinking … if you really want to explore ways in which readers can make more out of what they already have … what about tossing in a story or two about sponsorship? Fact is, I'd bet that most of Best Events reader's have tucked away within their very core attendee ranks everything they need to stem the tide of this lousy economy we find ourselves in. There are companies out there that would be more than interested in sponsoring your events in exchange for having the ability to tap into your attendees, exhibitors, readers or members. You don't have to spend hours scouring the countryside looking for discount meeting locals in order to meet your budget … you have only to look deeper into what you already have!

Not to put too big a knock on Best Events – again, in this critic's opinion, it's off to a very promising start. But here's hoping that it'll give its readers some sponsorship education and encouragement in upcoming issues. If not – they're missing a huge opportunity – and so too will their readers!

Ron Seaver, president of Seaver Marketing Group and The National Sports Forum, and author of "Brought to you By... - The Ultimate Sponsorship Sales System" has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of marketing and sponsorship. View all of Ron's posts here